


What to Expect When You're Expecting (Wizard Edition)

by CallaFallon



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Magic Made Them Do It, Masturbation, Mildly Dubious Consent, Pregnancy sex, alternate season 6, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-08-31 19:39:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8591101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallaFallon/pseuds/CallaFallon
Summary: Season 6 AU. Rumple and Belle are learning how to be co-parents during her pregnancy. They have found a comfortable place, but are forced together by a complication that only Rumple can help.





	1. Chapter 1

The Gold’s were still married. Rumplestiltskin, with the knowledge of law gained from his time under the curse, had asked if his wife was planning a divorce so that he could prepare the necessary child custody agreement and scheduling. 

“I don’t want that,” she had said, forcefully, while they sat at a table at Granny’s. And while he was relieved that he still had a wife, it was unclear exactly what their marriage consisted of since Belle awoke from the sleeping curse. 

He had offered her the pink house but she prefered to stay at the apartment above the library. At the same time the guest bedroom of the Victorian was rapidly filling up with supplies for a nursery, so it seemed like she would end up there at some point. 

It was still too hard for Rumplestiltskin to stay there. He would come by every few days to check the mail, but living in the house meant constantly being reminded of what they had before he ruined it. 

Oh, there was plenty of blame to go around in their relationship now, but he had cast the first stone by promising that he wouldn’t go after Regina. It was that simply lie on their first day reunited that set the tone for everything. He would lie, she would feel hurt, he would snap, she would leave, he would wallow, she would return.

 That first lie had been forgiven, but the pattern was in place. He would lie more, she would look past it. He would push boundaries and she would say she had faith he could do better. He had tried to work his wife as he would a deal. He’d used loopholes and carefully chosen words to placate her. When what she always wanted was just for him to treat her as an equal. Which he would try to do now. He’d give her space, but not ignore her. He would be there when she needed him, but not overwhelm her with his presence.

 The pregnancy served as the perfect excuse to keep them in contact. Rumplestiltskin told her, in a show of honesty, that he regretted not being around for Milah’s pregnancy. He wanted to do more than just support Belle. He wanted to understand what was happening to her body and their child. It seemed like magic, the way their lovemaking had created a person. From the first ultrasound he was amazed by seeing their child slowly growing inside of her, and the way that her body seemed even more lovely through the process. Belle had always been beautiful to him, but now she was transcendent.

 The most beautiful thing was just that she was happy.

 He wasn’t sure that he had ever seen Belle so continuously happy as she had been since their return from the Underworld. It helped that they had extracted themselves from the drama facing Storybrooke. The Evil Queen had been desperate for the bauble of Charming’s father, enough that she had agreed to leave the Gold family out of any of her plans, and to not use any third party to get at them. Meanwhile, Belle had explained to the heroes that she would gladly allow them access to the library but that she could not be involved personally.

 Without having to constantly solve the problems of the Royal Family, Belle had time to spend reconnecting with other people. She had a long needed argument with her father which allowed them to make peace. The fact that he was now seeing her on a regular basis, instead of just during moments of crisis, relieved his fears about her life. Even if he was still wary around Rumplestiltskin, the florist seemed to be coming to terms with the fact that his daughter and grandchild were tied to the beast. His love of them overcame his hate of the Dark One.

 Belle had friends now. Real friends, who cared about her and not just what she could do for them. Granny, needing an outlet for her mothering instinct since Ruby was in Oz, was teaching Belle how to knit, and how to shoot a crossbow. (“It’s the perfect weapon for a new mother,” she had asserted, “because you can fire it one handed, and it is quiet enough not to wake the baby.”) His wife had also started teaching, part of Snow White’s renewed effort towards normalcy for the townspeople. Since the library itself had never quite taken off, Belle moved the young adult books to the school, where they were finally getting used. She also discovered, to her relief, that most townspeople feared the library not because of her, but because of a latent curse memory that had made people feel strange when they approached the building. A security system in place, no doubt, to keep people from uncovering the dragon within.

 He was now accustomed to seeing her smiling, and happy, which is why when he brought her lunch to the school he knew something was wrong. Belle still had a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes, which were red and puffy. Underneath them were dark bags, as if she hadn’t slept in days. Her hair, usually so perfectly styled, was in a messy half bun. She looked tired, but her posture was tense and on edge. She sighed at least three times since he had started surreptitiously watching her from the doorway.

 Finally, she saw him, and she sucked in a breath. Her blue eyes were dark, and he wanted to think that look of hunger was for him, but it was probably just the cheeseburger. After all, even if they were behaving like modern co-parents, they hadn’t so much as kissed since their dream dance. The closest they had come to physical contact was when she grasped for his hand at the ultrasound appointment, but even that seemed more from excitement than romance.

“Rumple, is it lunchtime already?”

 “Yes, and I have your special lunch from Granny. Tell me, how do you convince her to use provolone cheese instead of that terrible processed stuff?”

 “I guess she just likes me,” Belle said, as he handed her the bag. “Did you bring anything for yourself?”

 He faltered. They didn’t eat lunch together. They had dinner two nights a week, where they talked about baby names and childbirth options, but his lunch duties stopped at delivery. “I didn’t, but I can certainly keep you company.”

 “I don’t want to bother you…”

 “No,” he said, too fast and desperate. “No, I would love to spend lunch with you.”

 Belle nodded to a stool on the other side of the counter where she sat. He was scared. If she had been this bold in the Dark Castle he would have been on the other side of the Kingdom to get away out of fear of doing something wrong. Now he was just sitting, trying to be calm.

 “How has work been?” she asked.

 Work? Well nobody ever came in and since he had given the bulk of property to Mr. Hyde he had a lot more free time. Mostly to read about child development. “Fine. It’s been fine. How about you? Are you getting through the thick skulls of Storybrooke’s children?”

 She grinned. “Now, they aren’t all that bad.”

 “Ah, so some of them are?”

 “You are just trying to uncover my secrets,” she said, touching his arm fondly. She still looked physically tired but she seemed in a better mood. She must have been hungry.

 They chatted while she ate. She asked his advice in what books to use in a display on historical women. He told her about his plans to move some of the more dangerous magical items out of the shop and to someplace with less history of being broken into. As the hour came to a close Rumple couldn’t help but ask her why she looked so tired.

 “Oh, just normal pregnancy stuff.” She was blushing, and he wondered why this would embarrass her. “It’s getting harder to sleep at night.”

 “Are you in pain?”

 She bit her lower lip, considering the question. “No, that isn’t it. I’m just...uncomfortable. It is hard to explain.”

 “Do you think I can help?” Rumple was hopeful that he could do something to show her that he still cared. He’d been so supportive, but he hadn’t been able to do more. If he could show that she could depend on him that could be the start of trust. That could help them build things again.

 But Belle just shook her head. “No, I don’t think you can. Not this time.”

Over the next week Belle seemed to get worse. She looked like she was ready to fall asleep at any moment. When he brought along his own lunch to share with her she called him presumptuous, and then got mad at him when he started to leave. She snapped at Granny over her joke about eating for two. Things were so bad that Moe French had showed up at the pawnshop asking if Rumplestiltskin could do something to help his daughter. He wanted to, but Belle claimed nothing was wrong. Or that it was hormones. Or that he had caused the whole problem by getting her pregnant in the first place.

 The worst part was that she just wouldn’t tell him the problem. If he knew what was going on he could fix it, either with his money or his magic, but she just claimed vague “problems sleeping” or “feeling uncomfortable.” It was to the point that he was going to demand she bring it up with Whale during their next appointment, but she had beaten him to the punch. When he arrived right on time she was already in the exam room, and had been for fifteen minutes.

 “Sorry,” she said, “I changed the appointment. I thought I told you.” Belle was a terrible liar, but he saw no point in challenging her on this. If she didn’t want him around for whatever she wanted to discuss she could have just asked. However, he knew that he was in no position to chastise her for keeping secrets.

 “No matter,” he replied, looking between his wife and Victor. If he didn’t know better the mad scientist looked slightly pale, like one of his creations.

 “Did you discuss whatever has been giving you problems?” Rumple asked.

 “Yes. And Dr. Whale had some good suggestions. It’s all just normal pregnancy stuff. Hormones.” She still looked physically wrecked, although she seemed more relieved.

 “And isn’t there something I can do to help? There are things that magic can do where science fails.”

 Victor sputtered a cough before answering. “I actually was telling your wife the benefit of a magic wand for her issue. But I think she has it well in hand on her own. We can move on to the ultrasound.”

 Rumplestiltskin didn’t ask any more questions, too excited for another chance to see their child. Belle was entering her second trimester, and while this was normally not the time for second ultrasound, Victor was being cautious because of the unknown impact that portal jumping, sleeping curses, and being locked in a box might have on the fetus. He wouldn’t complain. It was amazing to watch the small screen and see the outline of their son. The first ultrasound had hed only the hint of what their child would be, but now the form was becoming defined. He could clearly see his boy moving around.

 Belle was straining her neck, trying to see the screen better. Rumple moved behind her so that she could prop herself against his chest. They were closer than they had been in months. Rumple had grown used to their relationship being verbal, but this simple position reminded him of how her touch had always moved him beyond words. He had gone so long without touch before she came into his life. It had scared him at first, but at some point it became natural. He hadn’t even realized how much he missed these small acts of physical intimacy. Belle leaned against him, reaching for his hand, and suddenly he felt like he was emerging from the bottom of a dark pool to finally breathe.

 “I can’t feel him moving that much. Sometimes think I feel something, like a flutter, but...I can’t tell.” Their boy was active on the screen, moving back and forth until his tiny face was looking directly at them.

 Whale took a few still images while moving the wand across Belle’s round abdomen. “You should start feeling it any day. 13 weeks is a little early, but some women feel it as early as 10.”

 “Does it mean something that I can’t feel him yet?”

 “Nothing to worry about. He’s moving. His heart rate is good. Are you sure about the date of conception. He is just on the long side for his age.”

 Rumplestiltskin could feel Belle warming. If he could have torn himself away from their son’s image he was sure she’d be pink faced. “I’m positive about the date. But he is very tall. Taller than either of us.”

 Whale chuckled. “That’s right. You two met him. That’s a first for my practice. Takes some of the surprise out of the whole thing if you already know the sex, and eye color, and whose chin he has.”

 Belle was staring up at him. They were positioned so that her head was resting on his shoulder. In his peripheral vision he could see her blue eyes focused on him, to the point where he wished he hadn’t cut his hair. It used to be an effective shield against these types of looks, but he was unable to hide. Her free hand settled on his cheek and he had to keep himself from leaning into it. “Our son looks just like his father,” she whispered. “He’s got his thoughtful eyes, and his soft hair. He’s so handsome, and smart.”

 “And he loves you very much,” Rumple said, the words coming out before he could think about their meaning. Had he just admitted that he loved her? Well, that couldn’t be a secret. She had to know that by now. Even though things had been hard he never stopped loving her. These few months living relatively normal lives had only made him realize how much he wanted to share his future with her. Their family together as one.

 He wanted to kiss her then, and it was only Victor’s presence that forced him to step back. They had just been caught up in a moment of shared love for their child. It had confused their feelings. Nothing more. He straightened his tie while Belle wiped the jelly from her abdomen. She talked about the next appointment, and promised to sign up for the childbirth class soon.

 Victor made a few notes on his clipboard. “Remember what I told you, Belle. I think that there are some obvious solutions to your problem.” Rumplestiltskin swore that the doctor was nodding in his direction, but then he had always been a strange one.

 A few days later Rumplestiltskin was surprised to see an unknown number on his cell phone. “Mr. Gold, this is Credit Express. There has been some unusual activity on your card and it was flagged for fraud.”

 He checked his wallet, but the card was still there. “I don’t remember using it, but I don’t know who else would have. What were the purchases?”

 He heard a keyboard clicking and then a laugh. Then a long pause. “Well, there were a number of purchases. A Deluxe Magic Wand. A Rabbit Special Delight. A…”

 “Wands? Rabbits? Is this some type of magic shop?”

 “Um...it is an adult store. They are types of vibrators. Should I mark this as fraud?”

 He paused. Nobody else had his credit card. Nobody except his wife. “Did these items get sent to 50 Main Street in Storybrooke, Maine?”

 He was halfway out the door when the operator confirmed that the items had gone to the library. The pieces were clicking together: Belle’s illness, the items she ordered, why she wanted to talk to Victor in private. Still, if he was wrong it would be embarrassing. Instead of confronting Belle immediately he decided to make a detour.

 Old Mother Hubbard and her son Logan were in the examining room with Dr. Whale when Mr. Gold appeared in a puff of smoke. Immediately she began to worry about the rent (although she’d heard that someone new owned the buildings) but the pawnbroker was focused on the doctor.

 “I need to know what my wife talked to you about.”

 “Have you heard of HIPAA?” Victor responded.

 Gold held out his hand and smoke began to gather in his palm. “Have you ever heard that what magic can reattach is easily undone?”

 “Fine, but this isn’t exactly the time or place for this conversation.” Gold considered Whale’s words and exchanged a glance to the mother and son. In a flash he and Whale were gone, apperated to the pawnshop.

 “Okay, we are alone. So tell me what is wrong with Belle.”

 “Nothing,” Victor said, exhausted. “There is nothing wrong with her. She is just having an increased sex drive, which is perfectly normal in pregnancy.”

 Gold shook his head. “No, there’s more. That doesn’t explain why she looks tired. Why she is getting worse.” Victor was rolling his eyes and it made Rumple furious. “This is serious. This isn’t medical. It’s magical, and it’s all my fault.”

 “Yeah, because you cast some horny curse on her.” Whale was flippant, but when Gold didn’t budge, his jaw dropped. “You have access to a horny curse? Can anyone cast this? Is there..” Whale had been sent back to his exam room before he could finish the sentence.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

Frustration. 

That was the only work that could describe Belle Gold’s life at the moment. She wanted things that she couldn’t have even though she was trying her hardest. It made her feel hopeless, and angry, even though she hated that behavior in herself. The fact that she seemed unable to control this emotional tide only left her more frustrated. 

It was all hormones. Of course. That’s what everyone said. All the pregnancy books hinted that at some point she would have a higher sex drive. They also said that it would come in tandem with more sensitivity and better orgasms. So far she had the drive, but was unable to find a release. She was willing but just not able. If that wasn’t enough, she was finding it hard to sleep. Her appetite was non-existent. She just felt angry constantly. And, most strangely, she was missing her husband. 

The truth was that she had been wary of Rumplestiltskin since their experience in the dream world. It wasn’t just their son’s warning, it had been how easy it was to fall in love with him. She began the dream as terrified of him as she had been from the moment she came to the Dark Castle, but in an hour she was completely in love. He was able to say all the right words to make her believe in him, but then her memories returned. They were just words. He couldn’t ever actually put those words into action. He told her one thing, about changing, but the truth was that he would always put power before her. 

Wouldn’t he?

Belle wasn’t sure anymore. So much disappointment had caused her to start to give up hope, but then he had pulled Excalibur from the stone. It made her think that things could be different. That he was finally going to be the man he always promised her that he would be. 

In hindsight, she probably could have accepted him taking the curse back. It was hard to understand, since that curse nearly killed him, but there were benefits to magic. She also was starting to understand how easy it was to harm someone to protect your loved one. Maybe if he had talked to her about his plan. If he had treated her as his wife, not just a servant to accept his decisions. 

Anger had been easy at first. Over time it had led way to guilt. It was easy to cast Rumplestiltskin as the villain since he seemed to love the role, but she was equally responsible for what had happened between them. 

He had died. He had sacrificed himself and then gone to the underworld (a fact she hadn’t realized until she ended up there with him) to be punished with eternity surrounded by his horrible past. Then he’d be wrenched from there only to witness his son’s death. He’d been able to stave that off for a little bit by merging with Neal, but in the end he had still died. Rumplestiltskin hadn’t even been able to make it to the service because he’d been captive by Zelena. Once he finally was free, Belle didn’t really ask him about what had happened. 

He’d seemed fine. Just like the man he had always been. Oh, maybe he looked more tired, and he clearly was mourning his son, but they never spoke about it. She knew that things were wrong, although not to the same degree. Before their wedding she had seen the video of Zelena’s death and known her husband had done it. She had always known who her husband really was. Demanding he not retaliate against Zelena, or Regina, or anyone else who had crossed him was pointless. Talking to him about his fears, that would have been a start. Explaining that, to her, the best revenge was to live happily instead of striking out. She could have done that, but she didn’t. Belle was really an amature at love, and so was her husband. He may be a brilliant wizard and much more experienced, but neither of them had practice in how to have a relationship built on trust and support. She was afraid to do things wrong, and so, she never asked him about what his true feelings were about the things he had endured.

Cowards ran away from their problems. But it was equally unheroic to live in denial about any issues out of fear that you wouldn’t be able to handle them. Belle was a coward in how she had acted in their marriage. Yes, he had lied, but she had never questioned him. She’d never given him a place to turn to. She had wanted things to be normal, and so she overlooked all the signs that he was falling apart. She regretted it all now, but it seemed to late to apologize. They had built a new relationship, of friends and parents, that she didn’t want to ruin with talk of the past. 

They had done it all backwards. They’d fallen in love before they were friends. Now they were finally becoming friends who could talk and share things, but it was after they’d been married and conceived a child. The friendship was wonderful, but she missed having a husband. 

She missed coming home and having someone to talk with about the events of the day. She missed his witty jokes and how his darkly comic stories. And, of especially frustrating these days, she missed the physical intimacy. 

Dr. Whale had said that her increased sex drive was normal. Her reading had confirmed that. What wasn’t normal was not being able to reach climax. It felt strange doing that alone. She’d touched herself before, when she was a girl and when she and Rumple had first parted. It had always been satisfying in an efficient way. Now, it was just painful. Either she couldn’t get her mind in line with the needs of her body, or she would start to enjoy her own touch only to suddenly have a splitting headache before she could orgasm. Hopefully the items she ordered would be able to take care of that. 

As Belle came up the stairs of the library she saw her husband, leaning against the door of the apartment. He didn’t appear to hear her, as he was deep in thought with his brown eyes glazed over. She felt a flare of electricity run down her spine. Her husband was handsome. Belle had never been one to really notice male attractiveness the way that some of her friends did. Really, Rumplestiltskin was the first man she was ever attracted to in that way, and it really only started after she got to know him. 

He’d been green and scaly back then, but she thought he was handsome. Which meant that when she saw him in his human skin it was thrilling. He had such knowing eyes, and his face was so distinguished. His body looked the same, which was thrilling. She’d loved the fact that he was not overwhelmingly larger than her. Small, but powerful, and confident. He was so confident with her. Well, mostly. He would take her in his arms, overwhelm her with his kisses, and then when she was totally under his thrall he would suddenly turn shy and nervous. It was adorable. 

Ogling your own husband was probably not the worst way to spend an afternoon. It was just a pity that this was the afternoon when she’d received the package from the adult website. She hoped that Rumple hadn’t seen it, or maybe it would be better if he had. Maybe he could help her with her problem. 

She shook herself from her thoughts. “Rumple, I’m surprised to see you here.”

“We need to talk.”

Her heart sank. There was no good that could come from that. Did he want a divorce? Was he thinking about getting involved in the power play going on between the Evil Queen and the heroes? Her mind thought of a million terrible things. If it had been something simple it could have waited until their regular dinner tomorrow night. This must be bad. 

“Why didn’t you let yourself inside?” she asked, pulling out her key. “It can’t have been comfortable just standing here.”

“I didn’t want to presume..”

Belle kicked the box next to the door gently, pushing it inside the apartment while trying to distract her husband. “I’m carrying your child. You can come into my home to sit down. We aren’t total strangers.”

Her expanding abdomen pressed against him as she walked into the apartment, and for a moment she wanted to just linger in that touch. She had it bad. The other night she found herself fantasizing about how nice his weight felt on top of her after they made love and he was too lost in pleasure to move. Not for the first time she wished that she could be more like Lacey, who would have just showed up to his shop in a short dress and demanded that he go down on her. Of course, Lacey had the benefit of not being in love with him. If it all went to shit she could move on to someone else. It was much harder to ask a man to perform oral sex when you knew that in five months he was going to be watching a child come out of that same place. 

Besides, Rumplestiltskin made it clear he didn’t care about her in that way. He’d asked her if she wanted a divorce, which must have meant that he wanted one. Really, he only cared because of the child she carried. He’d opened up to her about how he regretted not being there for Milah’s pregnancy, and she was moved by his honesty. She may have prefered if she could be his proper wife, but she wasn’t going to ruin what they had now by asking them to tour the wreckage of their past. 

Rumplestiltskin looked so out of place in her apartment. Her decour here was what Ruby had kindly called “boho chic”. In reality it was mismatched furniture and lots of bookshelves loaded with tomes that were not in any particular order. She had wanted to be independent here, and had decorated it without touching any of his money. It was all comfortable and cozy, but a far cry from the man in the impeccable full suit who was standing with his hands behind his back as if he was afraid to touch anything. 

“Do you want some tea?”

“Um, no. I mean, maybe later. We need to get this over with. It’s important.”

Belle sat on her couch and gestured to the chair across from her. He shook his head. “I...um...I think I should stand.”

“Rumple, you are scaring me.”

He stared at her for a moment, and it was almost like he loved her. It was such a tender look that she was transported back to their wedding vows. Then he looked away towards that damned box next to the door. “I got a call about your...order.”

“Oh.”

She was turning pink and he was quick to try and reassure her. “I don’t mind. I mean, I’m glad you are trying to take care of the problem. But, the fact is that I don’t think you can. Not alone.”

Belle sucked in a breath. Was he actually propositioning her? 

“You see,” her husband began, starting to pace, “Wizards leave traces of magic in everything they do. Even if they don’t intend it. And magic always tries to find a way back to its creator. Do you understand?”

“No.”

He nodded. “See, when a wizard cares for a woman and he...makes a child...it is an act of magic.”

“Rumple,” she interrupted, “Are you explaining to me where babies come from? Because I already know that.”

He collapsed in the chair and ran his hand over his face. “Belle, your problem with...sexual desire. It’s because of me being a wizard.”

“No. It’s really common, all the books talk about it.”

“Ah, but the books don’t talk about being unable to climax. Or the trouble sleeping. Or eating. Or how you are in pain when you try to satisfy yourself. That’s not in the books, is it?”

“How do you know? Did Whale yell you?”

“Well, yes, but that was just confirmation. I know what is happening to you because I’ve read about it before. Sometimes when a wizard impregnates a woman she will develop a hunger that only he can sate. It is a way to ensure that the woman will come back to him. Some sort of magical bonding mechanism.”

Belle let his words sink in. On one hand she hated that magic was interfering with her once again. Although it wasn’t as if he had planned this. Rumple looks miserable at having to tell her, and clearly he would have prefered to not have to deal with this at all. It was just an accident.  On the other hand, it was good to know that there wasn’t anything wrong with her. She wasn’t unwell or sick. There was a solution to her problem, and he was in her living room. 

“So,” Belle said, “How do you want to handle this? Should we just go to my room and…”

“Now?” His voice came out as a squeek and he looked everywhere but at his wife. “There’s no need to hurry. Unless you are feeling unwell. We can...go to dinner. Talk.”

That stung her ego. There as a time when Rumple didn’t need an excuse to take her to bed. He certainly didn’t need to have a romantic evening to get into the mood. Was it her pregnancy that made him unwilling, or was he angry at her? They’d conceived this child in love just a few months ago, but now he couldn’t even take her to bed without working up to it. 

Belle felt her eyes burning as she held back tears. No. She wasn’t going to cry. Not in front of him. But she also had no interest in going out for a night on the town and acting like things were normal when they weren’t. He might need to pretend, but she wasn’t going to take part in the charade. 

“I haven’t been sleeping well in weeks. I just...I would rather just get this over now. If it’s all the same to you.”

He sighed and nodded. “Yes. That is fine. I...I think that we may be able to accomplish this without having to…” he fluttered his hands. “I mean, if the purpose of the magic is bonding then it can probably be satisfied without having to actually have relations.”

“Trying to find a loophole?” It was rhetorical. Of course he was, and the thing he was trying to avoid was to make love with her. Well, two could play at that game. She walked to the door and collected her box. She used her key to cut through the packing tape, and began pulling out boxes of vibrators and dildos and...goodness, she really had overdone this purchase. The website had been overwhelming, and she wasn’t sure what exactly she needed. So, she got whatever seemed highly recommended with names like wands, rabbits, bullets, and beads. When she had a silicone phallus in one hand and a glass one in the other Rumplestiltskin let out a grunt.

“Let me unpack that. Get them...washed and batteries installed,” he said, his voice deep and grumbley. “You go get ready. Slip into something comfortable. I’ll be in there soon.” He didn’t even look at her as he continued unpacking the box, and Belle made it to the bathroom before she started to cry. The shower drown out the sound, and a few moments later anger had overtaken sadness. With rough strokes she brushed her hair and pulled it into a bun, placing a shower cap on top. So what if her husband seemed horrified by sex with her? It was his fault that they were in this situation, even if it had clearly not been intentional. She had been suffering with this unquenchable need, and at least it would finally be satisfied. 

A bubble bath would have been perfect right now. No worry about getting her hair wet, and it would have been wonderful to just relax. Unfortunately hot baths, along with coffee, sushi, and wine, were all off limits. In the Enchanted Forest pregnant women would be given cups of port to help them relax and would eat whatever they wanted. It was terrifying how almost everything was potentially dangerous in this land. 

The shower wasn’t as good, but she was starting to relax as the water rolled down her body. When she ran a bar of rose scented soap on her skin, the hunger in her belly came back to life. This time, instead of the frustration, she felt the need as excitement. Rumplestiltskin may not have been interested in her anymore, but he wasn’t going to let her suffer as she had been. The moment he figured it out he came to her aid. He might not love her or desire her, but he cared, and he would make sure she finally would be able to find satisfaction. 

After drying off, Belle applied a liberal amount of cocoa butter on her body, focusing on her abdomen and breasts, trying to prevent stretch marks. Not that it really mattered, she mused darkly, since the only person she loved wasn’t interested in what she looked like naked. After brushing out her hair and brushing her teeth, Belle pulled on a silk dressing gown. 

The arousal that started in the shower reached new heights when she saw Rumple on her bed. He was reclining, eyes closed and still wearing his suit. His shoes were next to the bed, and socks still on. He’d taken off the jacket, vest, and tie. For some reason seeing him partially undressed looked more obscene than if he had been nude.

“So,” she said, “How should we do this?”

Rumple opened his eyes, smiling slightly before he turned grim. She must have interrupted a good dream. He sat up against the headboard and she noticed that the collection of sex toys were laid out on the other side of the bed. Oh, this was a far way from their life in the Dark Castle when she could think of nothing more lustful than kissing him with an open mouth. 

She shivered with the thrill of the forbidden. They weren’t going to be making love to express their feelings, this was simply for pleasure. Oh, they had always had pleasure in their lovemaking, but that was more of a benefit than the point. Now it was simply about giving her an orgasm. It felt indulgent and naughty.

Rumple pulled a book off the nightstand. It was old, and a hardcover with no title. It didn’t look familiar, but her seemed to know exactly what he was looking for. “This is where I first read about this complication. I was hoping to get a little more information about what is needed to satisfy the magical bond. It doesn’t happen in every pregnancy involving a wizard.”

“Is there a reason why it happens?” Ever since she woke up from her spell she’d worried if her actions would have an impact on the baby. The fact she still wasn’t feeling him move made her nervous. What if she had somehow caused this to happen also?

“No, there isn’t any clear causal factor. But the good news is that any other symptoms of magical pregnancy would have already been obvious. You haven’t been floating or starting speaking Draconic unexpectedly?”

“No,” she joked “just the expected floating and draconic. Is that a book specifically for magical pregnancies?”

“Um, yes. A sort of, What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Child with a Wizard. I had assumed that the curse would have prevented any…” He swallowed, holding his hand out to her. She took it, and found him pulling her onto his lap. “You have to realize I didn’t do this on purpose. Truly. It is the last thing I wanted.”

Belle settled against him so that her head was nestled between his chest and shoulder, the perfect place for her to be hidden from his all-too-knowing-gaze. “It doesn’t matter what we wanted. This is where we are. We might at least try to enjoy things.”

Rumplestilstkin started to massage her shoulders, and she moaned at the simple touch. It had been so long since he’d touched her, and that last time had been harried. Now his touch was relaxing, and she melted against him. Knots she hadn’t realized were there became loose. “There we go,” he whispered. “I think that as long as we are touching that the bond can work. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“I won’t touch you… anywhere…else.  You have your new purchases. I will just be here, trying to help you. I won’t even look. You can just imagine I’m not even here.”

Belle lolled her head so that her nose was buried against his neck, and she could just be enveloped by his strong woodsy aroma. Rumple smelled of magic, like a spring day after a rain storm. Fresh but with a hint of musk. She rubbed her legs together, reveling in the feel of skin on skin. Her hands moved along the dressing gown, pressing the cool silk against her nipples as they hardened. They were so sensitive these days that she didn’t need to do more than just touch to feel overwhelmed. Her hand continued down her body until it reached the apex of her thighs. She dipped on finger in to feel the beginning of wetness.

“What do you want to try?” Rumple encouraged. “You certainly made a number of purchases. Were there any you were especially excited to use?”

She shook her head slightly, still pressing it against his neck. “I was desperate, just trying anything.”

He pulled away to select one of the toys, she remember it was called a rabbit. It was deep pink, almost purple, and consisted of a curved four-inch long silicone vibrator with an attachment at the base that looked like a pair of bunny ears. Rumple turned it on at the base, and demonstrated the three speeds. “I think this seems perfect for you. You’ve always enjoyed a lot of direct stimulation.”

The words were on the tip of her tongue to ask him to use it on her. She tried to speak, but they just couldn’t come out. He was trying so hard already, she couldn’t ask more of him. Belle took the machine from him and adjusted her legs so they were wide open, her thighs on the either side of his lap. It tickled as she first brushed it against her core, and he laughed as she pulled away. Slowly, bravely, she slid the contraption inside of her, letting out a long sigh once it was completely inserted. 

“Oh, yes,” she screamed, the ears she had noticed earlier teasing her clitoris in the most delightful way. At first she tried moving the thing in and out, simulating the thrusting that normally happened during sex, but that meant losing contact with those amazing ears. Instead, Belle kept her hand in place and shifted her hips back and forth.

This was the best she had felt since this all started. Lately she couldn’t even get to this level of pleasure. She would just work and work for nothing, or else experiencing searing headaches. Now she felt like she was gliding down a river. 

Just as she approached her climax she felt something shift. “No. Oh, no, something is wrong. It isn’t working.” She knew she was pleading, but she was so close and it was all spinning away from her. 

“Rumple,” she whined, moving slightly so she could see his face. His eyes were closed and he seemed almost pained. Suddenly he was staring at her, eyes almost black, and he leaned forward to kiss her without preamble. It was awkward from this angle, but it seemed to be what her body needed to continue. He was moving with her now, and she could feel his erection driving into her backside. All at once she finally reached the moment that had been eluding her, and blackness surrounded her vision. 

When she woke up it was dark outside. Belle was tucked into her bed, and the toys were all gone. It might have just been a dream, except her sleep hadn’t been nearly that restful lately. There was also a note on her bedside. “Call me when you wake up, R.” 

 


End file.
